Lucy at 50: How the world’s most famous fossil was discovered
CNNSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. CNN — Lucy, a fossilized skeleton unearthed 50 years ago this month, transformed scientists’ understanding of human evolution. The discovery by American paleontologist Don Johanson and graduate student Tom Gray on November 24, 1974, in Ethiopia opened a new chapter in the human story, offering proof that ancient hominins were able to walk upright on two feet 3.2 million years ago — a trait once thought to have evolved more recently in tandem with big brains and tool use. CNN spoke to Johanson, 81, founding director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University, to hear the story of Lucy’s discovery and why her significance endures. Lucy’s species did not give rise directly to modern humans, but her pivotal place on the human family tree led to all later hominin species, most of which went extinct.
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Lucy at 50: How the world’s most famous fossil was discovered
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